Yes, My Princess
by Caspian
Summary: Just a little pet project of mine. A medevil/fantasy Takari. Please read and give me your thoughts.


disclaimer: _I don't own anything_  
  
  
Inthe history of the land called Digidania, there are many stories of true love and high adventure. There is the tale of the brave young prince of Kamiya, who fell in love with an enchanting peasant girl selling flowers in the street. Likewise there is the story of the prince's beautiful younger sister, and how she came to love the handsome slave boy forced to serve as her bodyguard. And there is the fable of a sullen, wandering knight, who became the loving champion of a vain young princess of Tachikawa. These, and others are written of in the Chronicles of Digidania.....  
  
  
**Yes, My Princess**   
  
  
Hikari did not consider her life to be anything spectacular.... Her parents were dead, and she missed them horribly. She hated her cruel, uncaring uncle. And she loved her brother, but he was often too busy quarrling with their uncle to pay much attention to her.  
  
And she was right, none of this was really _that_ fascinating.... Until you take into account that Hikari was a princess, and that her uncle and brother quarrled over a crown and a kingdom. These facts made her life quite spectacular indeed, but spectacular or not there was one thing that was true about her life....It was an unhappy one, though she worked very hard to keep this hidden.  
  
She was always smiling and cheerful, and she always had a kind word for everyone she saw, whether they be a high ranking lord, or a lowly servant. In fact, she did such a good job of hiding her unhappiness that only one person actually knew how unhappy she really was.  
  
His name was Takeru, but Hikari called him only 'bodyguard', or if she was in a particularly wretched mood, simply 'slave'. He never referred to her as anything but 'my Princess'.   
  
He followed her wherever she walked, stood outside the door while she bathed, and answered quickly and respectfully whenever she deemed to speak to him.  
  
"Bodyguard, I shall take my walk in the garden now."  
"It is your will, my Princess."  
  
"Bodyguard, I want some flowers for my parents grave."  
"It shall be seen too at once, my Princess."  
  
"Slave, my Uncle whishes my brother and I to dine with him tonight. If anyone comes to my door tell them that I am sick."  
"Yes, my Princess."  
  
Their stormy, but unusually strong relationship had begun when Hikari was only eleven. Her parents had recently been murdered by an assasin, and her uncle had vaulted himself into the throne by declaring that the crown prince, Hikari's brother Tai, was simply too young to rule wisely.   
  
The new king wasted little time in proving himself to be a cruel, and greedy tyrant. He forced the country into war with its western neighbor Tachikawa by spreading false word that it was the origin of the royal assasins. And to offset the large casulties that were to be expected, he reinstituted the long-dead custom of forced servitude. Anyone in the kingdom found themselves at risk of being declared a slave, and sent to almost certain death on the western front. Which is exactly what happened to one poor boy as he passed through the land on a quest to find his long lost brother.  
  
But by some miracle death did not find young Takeru then, and after the war's stalemated conclusion he was returned to Kamiya with the mark of a soldier-slave branded on his left shoulder. Reports of the boy's bravery and skill had not gone unnoticed by certain people, and soon Takeru found himself standing at attention outside Princess Hikari's door for the first time. And despite everything that had happened, he found himself wondering if the rumors of the young royal's amazing beauty could possibly be true.  
  
He got his answer when the most breathtaking creature he had ever seen softly opened the door. She had soft brown hair that fell to her shoulders, and seemed to flash with gold in the light. Her deep brown eyes seemed to glow with a hidden light of their own. Unexpectedly, Takeru found himself drawn through them into the girl's soul, into the pool of pain and sorrow that resided there. The boy found himself seized with an irristible urge to hold the slender, delicate girl to his body, and kiss away all the pain from her heart. But he quickly reigned in the foolish thought. For she was a princess, and he was a slave, and to even think of such a thing warrented death.  
  
For her part, Hikari came to the door that morning expecting to see a fat, ugly, old soldier with bits of breakfast stuck in his beard. Instead she was shocked to find the breath stolen right out of her lungs. The boy was scarcely older than she was, maybe even younger, but he was tall for his age, and well built. And the simple uniform he wore made him seem older. But the way his messy blonde hair fell about his head marked him with a distinctly child-like quality. And then there were his eyes. They were a dark blue the color of ice water, and they seemed to reflect all the horrors the boy had seen, all the pain he had felt, but behind it all they shone with an innocent hope, the kind of which would never die. At that moment Hikari wanted nothing else in the world but to grab hold of him and cry into his chest, sure of the loving embrace that would soon follow. But she took hold of her feelings just as sternly as Takeru had, for she knew they could never be anything but a fantasy.  
  
But some things happen no matter how hard you try to stop them, and the princess and the boy who was to guard her life fell in love that day. And even though they both locked away this secret so deep in their hearts that they could barely feel it, it was still there. And every time Hikari called him 'Bodyguard', or even 'Slave', she said she loved him. And every time Takeru responed with 'my Princess', he said he loved her right back.  
  
For five years they lived together like this, and despite their best efforts the imprisoned love only grew stronger, until one day it became so strong that it was sure to tear down the walls of their hearts and escape.  
  
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Hikari had been having odd dreams up to this day. They were not nightmares, actually they were exactly the opposite. They were dreams that were so joyful and happy that she felt her heart would break when she awoke to find that dreams were all they had been. She dreamed that her parents had never died, amd that her brother was still a playful child, but mostly she dreamed about the boy who slept outside her door. She dreamed that she could wipe away the brand from his shoulder, and the horrors from his memory, and that once, just once, he would smile at her and tell her that she was loved.  
  
It was a from a dream very much like this that she awoke one early afternoon, (She was a princess. Who said she had to get up before noon?) and threw open her door. The past night's dream had been a paticularly happy one and she wondered if there was any possible way............No, Takeru stood straight and tall like a piece of steel. He was still the same serious, unloving soldier that he had been every morning for the past five years. Hikari chided herself for being caught up in her imagination.  
  
She sighed and looked at him dejectedly. "Bodyguard, I shall take my walk in the garden now."  
  
"Yes, my Princess." He nodded and followed after her through the castle halls.  
  
Every day since her parents had died, Hikari had gone to visit their graves in the castle garden as soon as she awoke. She found such peace and reassurance in running her fingers along the cool marble of their headstones. Sometimes she might even softly whisper to them about the happenings in her life, and not a day went by that they were not moisented by her soft tears.  
  
It nearly killed Takeru to see her like this, in so much pain with no way for him to help it. He often came to the verge of crying himself, but he could not. For he had not cried a single tear since the day of his fourth birthday, when his parents were killed in front of him and his beloved brother was dragged away in chains screaming his name.  
  
He watched as Hikari turned towards him and started to open her mouth, but she did not have to utter a sound before the boy stepped forward and handed her a bouqet of roses he had picked and arranged the night before.  
  
Hikari could not help but be touched by this gentle gesture, and nodded to him thankfully. She laid the flowers down and took one last longing look at the carved names, then she stood up and faced Takeru again, ready for whatever challenges the day might bring.  
  
"Bodyguard, I must go to the baths now. My Uncle has invited several prominent ladies to dine at the castle tonight, and he insists I play hostess." She made no attempt to hide the disgusted look on her face.  
  
"Of course, my Princess." He answered obiediently.  
  
A brisk walk soon brought them to their destination, and Takeru assumed his normal position outside the bathroom door. Hikari removed her gown, and slid into the tub already prepared for her. She let a sigh of relaxation escape her lips as the delightfully warm water rushed over her. Her daily bath was one of her few real pleasures in life, and she wasted no time in laying back and closing her eyes, content to slumber gently while she waited for the handmaidens to arrive and wash her hair.  
  
Unfortunately, with her eyes closed she could witness the entrance of three unusualy burly attendents from a side door. Nor could she see as one of them softly locked the door to the main hallway, effectively blocking Takeru from coming to her rescue. However she could not help but notice when a pair of vice-like hands grabbed her by the throat and lifted her from the water.  
  
Her eyes lept open in shock as she stared into the face in front of her. It was a man with a long tangled beard and rotten yellow teeth. His wild eyes shone with a desperate maddness that made Hikari's blood run cold.  
  
"Killed my sons! Killed my little girl!" He screeched at her with a wrasping voice. His putrid breath made Hikari gag.  
  
"Now I kill you!"   
  
Hikari opened her mouth to scream. "TAK-" She managed to shout before the man pushed her head under the water and held it there.  
  
Outside Takeru thought he heard a scream from inside the chamber. "Princess?" He called.  
  
No answer.  
  
"Princess Hikari?" He called again.  
  
Still no answer.  
  
He anxiously tried to open the door, and his heart began to pump wildly as he found it locked. He reached back and heaved his shoulder into the door, but the heavy oak did not give an inch.  
  
Desperatly he turned and grabbed a heavy ornamental axe off its place on the wall. He swung it, and the door splintered a bit.  
  
He swung again, and could see inside enough to make out at least two large, dark figures.  
  
He let loose with a yell as he swung one more time with all his power, and he was in.  
  
He dropped the heavy axe and reached for his sword as one figure charged. One quick stroke and the large man stumbled past him already dead.  
  
Another man rushed forward with a thick club of some kind. Two strokes and he was minus his club and his head.  
  
Takeru dashed to where the last assasin was still holding the princess under the water. With all the strength the boy could muster he drove his sword between the man's shoulder blades.  
  
The man unleashed a scream that sounded more animal than human, and sent the surprised boy toppling backwards with a swing of his enourmous fist. The man turned from the princess and lept at the stunned Takeru with a look of pure, mindless rage.  
  
The boy tried in vain to struggle away as the huge man pinned him to the floor and brought out a dagger.  
  
"Kill you! Kill you! Kill you!" he chanted endlessly as blood dripped from his mouth.. Takeru tried to fight, but the man drew power from insanity, and the boy could only manage to push the dagger thrust away from his heart and into his shoulder.  
  
The man tore his weapon from Takeru's flesh, and would have surely plunged it through the boy's chest, if not for the fact that he was finally overcome by his wound and slumped over dead on top of the stunned boy.  
  
Takeru pushed the body away, and lay on the ground for a moment catching his breath. He finally looked over to see that the princess had gotten out of the tub, and now stood with eyes wide from shock and coughing up water. He also could not help but note that she was nude, and making no concious effort to cover herself.  
  
Without a second thought, he jumped up, tore the thin cloak from his shoulders, and rushed to wrap it around her shivering frame. To his surprise, she responded by wrapping her arms around him and burying her sobbing face in his shirt. He stood there for second unsure of what to do, but then his arms, seemingly acting of their own accord, wound themselves around her shoulders, and his head laid itself down on top of hers. And for a few moments they stood and swayed together gently, to the echoes of dripping water.  
  
It was the sight of the blood dripping from Takeru's shoulder that finally brought Hikari back to reality. She swiftly pulled her face away from his chest. "You're hurt." She said softly, blinking her eyes a few times to clear her head.  
  
"It is nothing to concern yourself with, my Princess." He looked at the ground humbly.  
  
Hikari felt a slight blush creep into her cheeks. "Nonsense." She stated, as she tore off a piece of the cloak around her and proceded to wrap it around his wound. "We must make sure that it does not get worse." She finished by tying the cloth into a firm knot. "There," She said, with a small grin coming to her mouth and her eyes. "all better."  
  
Takeru looked up again, and her stomach fluttered at the soft smile he gave her._ He_ _smiled! He actually smiled! _She thought.   
  
"Thank you, my Princess." He barely whispered, caught in the enchantment of her heavenly face. Hikari was already too lost in his beautiful blue eyes to hear him.  
  
Their faces slowly moved closer, and Hikari could only feel how her hands began to travel up his arms, just as his gently encircled her waist. She tilted her head slightly as they both closed their eyes. They came so close together that Hikari could almost taste his lips on hers, and then--  
  
"HIKARI! HIKARI WHERE ARE YOU!"  
  
The two youths hastily jumped apart as Hikari's brother Tai appeared at the shattered doorway.  
  
The young prince's expierienced eyes went wide as he scanned the chaos of the room. They finally came to rest on his sister, and a geyser of relief shot through his veins.  
  
"Oh Hikari, thank God you're okay." He reached out and lifted her up in a fierce hug.  
  
Hikari smiled warmly at her brother's concern and hugged him back. "Of course I'm okay Tai, isn't protection what Tak -um- my bodyguard is here for." The last few moments came flashing back to the girl and she looked around for Takeru. He was standing slightly off to her left, and her heart sunk down a little to see that he was once again a stone-like soldier standing at attention.  
  
Though he was standing still, Takeru's mind was racing. _Did I? Was she? Did we_ _almost?_ He shook his head in an effort to brush away those thoughts, and tried to turn his attention to the scene unfolding before him.  
  
It appeared that Tai had not been the only one interested in coming to Hikari's rescue. A group of soldiers were blocking the doorway, and the prince's two most trusted advisors were already in the room.  
  
Lord Jyou was kneeling beside one of the dead would-be-assasins. His keen mind and sharp, bespectacled eyes were already pouring over the scene, digesting an endless number of clues and possibilities.  
  
The other advisor was the newly knighted Sir Davis. He was known to be an avid admirer of princess Hikari, and at the moment was busy staying true to form. Takeru watched with a modest amount of jealousy as the young knight followed in the prince's footsteps and gave her a rather intimate hug.  
  
"Are you sure that you're alright Hikari?"   
  
"For the last time Davis, yes!" The young princess sighed and gently pushed him away. She liked the brave young knight, but there were times that he could be a bit smothering with his.....friendship.  
  
She rubbed her now throbbing temples and turned back towards her brother, who had his eyes narrowed in concentration as he noticed the similarities between his sisters 'garment' and the blood-soiled bandage around the shoulder of her bodyguard. "Tai." She called.  
  
He turned to her and his eyes once again became filled with concern "Yes Hikari?"  
  
The girl felt her face flush as she too became aware of her dress. "I kind of would like to return to my chambers, and uh, change my clothes."  
  
The prince let a relieved smile come to his lips. "Well naturly, I'll just get Jyou to ask you some questions when you've had some time to rest."  
  
Hikari nodded. "I suppose you mean after dinner."  
  
Tai grimaced "I think that maybe you should skip the dinner tonight Hikari."  
  
She responed with a vigorous shake of her head. "I really feel like being around other people tonight Tai." She was about to say that 'she didn't feel like being alone', but then she thought of Takeru, and wondered if that would really have been true. "and besides I already made a promise to our 'dear' Uncle."  
  
Tai sighed and ran a hand through his hair, he would never be able to say no to his younger sister. "Fine." he said. Then a took another look around the room and leaned in close to whisper in her ear. "But be careful. For it looks as if the crimes of our 'dear' Uncle are coming down on our heads."  
  
She gave a serious nod, and made her way to the door. Takeru of course following right after.  
  
Both of them were miserable as they walked along. They both understood what had happened, and what had almost happened. They knew that their love was at the bursting point and it was almost impossible to keep it chained for much longer. But they also knew what the consequences of this love would be. In short, there were many things that could, and needed to be done, but the two youths picked the worst possible one to decide on; they remained silent.   
  
As Hikari dressed in her room, she became more miserable still. She hated to wear the formal gowns that such a dinner required, they were hot, sticky, and so tight she could barely breathe. All of this discomfort only served to worsen her feelings, and intensify her visions of Takeru's god-like eyes, and his soft smile that was just running over with quiet strength. _He's so beautiful._  
  
She was so wrapped up in her fantasies that she almost did not hear the knock at her door, or the muffled, but unmistakable voice that followed. "Princess? It is almost time for the dinner."   
  
Hikari quickly finished getting ready, and opened the door. Then her legs almost turned to jelly as her eyes once again came into contact with his.  
  
"Are you all right my princess?" Takeru asked. Trying desperatly to keep his own feelings from spilling over into his words.  
  
Hikari quickly looked to the ground to avoid his melting gaze. In truth she had been ready to suggest that he stay behind to rest his wound, but apparently the boy had already dressed it with strips of coarse linen, and put on his uniform reserved for formal occasions. So she merely nodded and made ready to leave. "I am fine bodyguard. We shall go now."  
  
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The dinner was even worse than she possibly could have expected. Not only was the food horrible, and her dress as uncomfortable as hell, but the entire evening was overshadowed by the tangible animosity between Hikari's uncle and the nobles loyal to him, and those loyal to her brother.  
  
It also made her rather uncomfortable the way Tai, Jyou, and Davis were constantly studying her when they thought she was not watching. She even caught them sending suspicious looks at Takeru as he stood at the wall behind her.  
  
After a while though, the men decided that there were other more important matters to attend too, and the two factions got up and left through opposing doors.  
  
_Perfect._ Hikari thought glumly. Now I'm stuck with the 'ladies'. If there was one thing in life Hikari hated more than her uncle, it was the assorted ladies of nobility who always seemed to be hanging around the castle. In her opionion they were nothing but of bunch of gossiping, ugly old hags who used any and every cosmetic means they could think of to appear exactly the opposite. And they were even worse when they happened to be drunk. But despite herself, Hikari found her attention drawn to the words of the worst of them.  
  
The Lady Gertrude was an old, old, age of forty, but still deeply fond of the extremely low-cut gowns that had made her so popular in her youth. She also liked to make sure that every visible inch of her skin was covered in a fine white powder, and Hikari had heard from a good authority that the powder had made all of her hair fall out, forcing her to wear dog's-hair wigs.  
  
"I absolutely _abhor_ those animals in Tachikawa!" She screeched to any within hearing distance. "That Princess Mimi! Who does she think she is? Trying to rile up our slaves with her champion, with _her Green Knight._"  
  
Gertrude stopped and looked around at all the faces enraptured by her speech, unfortunately the one she settled on was that of Hikari. "And just this afternoon our darling young Princess is almost murdered by those same slaves." Hikari felt her face grow red as Gertrude continued. "Thank God she was saved!"  
  
The old woman proceded to take a long drink of mead. And when she again looked towards Hikari, her gaze drifted past the girl towards the wall behind her. Her eyes narrowed wickedly, and she lustfully licked her lips as she spoke. "Of course, a bodyguard like that can come to my rescue any day."  
  
The other women exploded with outrageous laughter. Hikari's face went red as blood as she glared at the older woman, and Takeru had to try hard not to drop his head in shame.  
  
Gertrude caught all of these reactions and jumped on them like a cat on a crippled mouse. "I mean really dear," she spoke to Hikari with a look of mock playfullness that was really anything but. "You uncle must love you very, very much, to give you such a...._useful_ gift."  
  
Hikari's fists clenched in pure rage and she shot daggers towards the woman. A few of the others noticed and a fearful look came into their eyes as they chatted softly. Gertrude however noticed nothing and continued with her verbal onslaught. "Maybe you could possibly let me borrow him the next time my husband has to leave on buisness, I'm sure I'll be in need of protection then." The old woman burst into laughter, but in the whole hall she was the only one.  
  
The rest had all turned their eyes to the Princess. She had risen from her chair and the look in her eyes could only be described as murderous. "Stop, laughing."  
  
The old woman looked up from her mirth and nearly died of fright at the sight of the Princess in all of her furious glory. The proud woman was reduced to cowering in her chair, whimpering like a scared puppy.  
  
Hikari spoke calmy, clearly, and slowly, but made no attempt to hide the lethal undertone of her words. "I am deeply upset by your words, Lady Gertrude. Maybe even angered. And let me draw your attention to the fact that at the rate my brother and uncle are going; they might kill each other before the year is out. And unless I am mistaken; that would leave me as Queen."  
  
Hikari leaned over and stared into the frightened eyes of the now weeping Gertrude. "And let me assure you all, that you do not want to anger one who holds your life in her hands."  
  
A majority of the ladies fainted right away, some even relieved themselves right then and there in their chairs, but not one of them doubted the sincerity of the Princess's words.  
  
With a grace that screamed of royalty, Hikari walked out of the hall, pausing only to wake Takeru from from the same amazed trance of the others with a snap of her fingers.  
  
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By the time Hikari had returned to her chambers, put on her nightgown, and slipped into her bed, she had decided something. It concerned the fact that her love for Takeru had grown so strong that she could not possibly bear to keep it locked away any longer.   
  
The taunts of the Lady Gertrude, her own little speech, they had helped Hikari to finally figure out what she had to do, and just the thought of it broke her heart.  
  
"Bodyguard," She called. "come here."  
  
Outside in his small room Takeru had been staring at the ceiling, just imagining what his life might have been like in another world. He could almost see himslf, freely able to express his love to the other worldly princess, when the words of the real one snapped him back to reality.  
  
He hastily pulled on a pair of trousers, and rushed through the door, honestly not sure of what to expect. And when he saw her, standing at the foot of her bed in a thin little nightgown, with the silver moonlight streaming behind her, his heart pained him with its longings to take her in his arms.  
  
As she saw him come through the door, bare chested no less, Hikari almost caved into the whispers in her heart and rushed to embrace him. But no, she had to be strong for both their sakes, and just hope he could not see the sparkling tears collecting in the corners of her eyes.  
  
"Bodyguard, you must leave." She tried to make her voice sound firm, but it was cracking uncontrolably. "I've arranged a way for you to get out of the castle. I am giving you your freedom." She stared at the ground so he could not see the tears running down her cheeks.   
  
"My Princess," He took a step towards her. "it is my duty to keep you safe from harm."  
  
Hikari moved a little towards him, trying to ignore the pain in his eyes. "TK, I don't want-" She paused, unsure of how the name TK had slipped from her lips, it had just seemed so natural to say. "Oh I- I'm sorry."  
  
Takeru moved close enough to almost touch her. "You may call me whatever you wish to, my Princess."   
  
Hikari shook her head as she moved near enough to take him in her arms. "But I don't want to be your Princess! And I don't want you to be my Bodyguard!." She cupped his face and stared deep into his eyes.  
  
"I just want to be yours, and you to be mine. With nothing else in between! because I love you! And-and,"  
  
"And nothing." He finished for her "You'll always be my Princess. And I will always love you, but there is no way I will ever leave this castle without you, my Kari."  
  
She smiled, because even though no one had ever called her that before, she knew she never wanted to be called anything else.  
  
"Okay."  
  
Without any other hesitation they kissed, and it was heaven. Never before in their lives had they felt so free, or happy. And the only reason they ever broke away was because it was a fact of life that they had to breathe, and neither one of them wanted to die now that they had just found such happiness.  
  
"Promise me that you'll never leave me." Kari said as she moved her lips back to his.  
  
"Only if you promise me the same." TK repsonded as their lips met, their kiss answering the both.  
  
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As the years past, many strange and wonderous things befell TK and Kari. They avenged Kari's parents at the side of her brother, and shared the joy and saddness of the moment when TK finally found his. They traveled to another world, and made life-long friends that were beyond their wildest explanations. They grasped each others hands as they were crowned as a king and queen, and stood with ten others against an evil older than time itself. There were times that they thought they would die, and others when they thought they were already dead. But through all these times and more, neither one of them ever broke their promise to each other.  
  
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Well, how did ya like it. Try to guess where I got my inspiration from, you get three tries and the second two don't count.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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